Peter Ritter

Johann Peter Ritter (2 July 1763 - 1 August 1846) was a German composer, conductor, chorus master, and cellist born and died in Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany). He is best known in the United States for "Sun of My Soul" and "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name."

Peter Ritter was son of the oboist Georg Wilhelm Ritter and the nephew of the bassoonist Georg Wenzel Ritter. He was a student of Abbé Vogler, who also taught Giacomo Meyerbeer and Carl Maria von Weber. He played cello in the orchestra of the Mannheim National Theatre beginning in 1786 and became one of its concertmasters in 1801. From 1803 to 1823 he worked as its conductor. His successor was the Antonio Salieri student, Michael Frey.

In addition to more than 20 stage works, including Die lustige Weiber, one of the earliest known operas after William Shakespeare and one of ten operatic adaptations of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Ritter also composed church music and various instrumental works. His brother, Heinrich Ludwig Ritter, became known as a violinist, his, son Karl August Ritter, was a singer.

Works Der Eremit auf Formentera (Libretto: August von Kotzebue), komische Oper, 1788 Der Sklavenhändler (Libretto: Christian Friedrich Schwan), Singspiel, 1790 Die Weihe (Libretto: Georg Christian Römer), musikalisches Schauspiel, 1792 Die lustigen Weiber (Libretto: Georg Christian Römer after Shakespeare), Singspiel, 1794 Dilara oder Die schwarze Zauberinsel (Libretto: Wolfgang Heribert von Dalberg after Carlo Gozzi), Singspiel, 1798 Das Fest in Apollons Haine (Libretto: Georg Christian Römer), Festspiel zu Ehren des schwedischen Königspaares, 1803 Das neue Jahr (Neujahr) in Famagusta (after Clemens Brentano, Die lustigen Musikanten), Singspiel, 1804 Das Fest am Rheine (Libretto: Siegfried August Mahlmann), 1806 Salomon's Urtheil (Libretto: Georg Christian Römer), Oper, 1808 Das Fest im Olymp, musikalischer Prolog zum Namenstag der Großherzogin Stephanie von Baden, 1808 Der Zitherschläger (Libretto: Heinrich Seidel), Singspiel, 1810 Das Tal von Barzelonetta oder Die beiden Eremiten, Singspiel, 1811 Feodore (Libretto: August von Kotzebue), Singspiel, 1811 Alexander in Indien (Die Macedonier am Indus) (Libretto: Georg Christian Römer after Pietro Metastasio), Oper, 1811 Die Jubelfeier (Libretto: Karl Ludwig Kaibel), musikalisches Drama, 1816 Leonore oder Das Geistergericht (after Gottfried August Bürger), Ballade, 1815 Der Schutzgeist (Libretto: August von Kotzebue), dramatische Legende, 1816 Alfred (Libretto: August von Kotzebue), Oper, 1820 Der Mandarin oder Die gefoppten Chinesen (Libretto von Heinrich Ritter), komisches Singspiel, 1821 Hoang-Puff oder Das dreifache Horoskop (Libretto: Hermann Herzenskron), Singspiel, 1822 Bianca (Libretto: Albert Ludwig Grimm), Oper, 1825 Der Talisman, Singspiel, 1825 Das Grubenlicht (Libretto: Louise Beck), romantische Oper, 1833